Secondary Sources Asia: Denser, not Bigger, Cities for China

–Denser, not Bigger, Cities for China: Building denser rather than larger cities will help China cut down on traffic congestion, air and water pollution and the maintenance costs for infrastructure services, according to a report by the World Bank and the Development Research Center of China’s State Council. It also will help preserve the amount of farmland still available.

–Adding Value: Tokyo and Seoul shouldn’t underestimate the positive effects of Korean-Japanese cooperation. David Parker and Mikael Lindfors say achieving a de facto bilateral free trade agreement between Japan and Korea through the Trans-Pacific Partnership would increase the value of that deal by roughly one-third and boost global gross domestic product by more than $70 billion in 2025.

–China Debates the TPP: Perhaps the biggest question hanging over the Trans-Pacific Partnership is whether China will join the talks. Such a prospect was unthinkable as recently as a year ago, but is receiving serious consideration now, Paul Bowles writes.

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